ARTFULLY AMPLIFIED

Gabriela Hearst’s Nina and Demi bags are made in collaboration with Madres y Artesanas in Bolivia. Photograph courtesy of Gabriela Hearst.

Can’t-miss museum exhibitions pair with the fashion world’s creative collaborations.

BY ELAINE RAFFEL

Pop artist Andy Warhol once said that “fashion is more art than art is.” Both are outlets for self-expression. Whether you agree or not, in many respects, fashion designers are indeed artists, using cloth, shape, form, and color with the same mastery as a painter wielding oil on canvas. And many of the most coveted collections and iconic pieces were inspired by art. Look no further than Yves St Laurent’s renowned 1965 block-print Mondrian shift dress or Gianni Versace’s 1991 silk-screened Warhol Marilyn gown.

Here are some of the fashion world’s latest artistically inclined apparel, accessories, and collaborations—including two must-see museum exhibitions.

In America: An Anthology of Fashion at the Metropolitan

Museum of Art showcases American fashion from the late 18th century to the present. The interesting twist: Nine esteemed film directors (Martin Scorsese, Sofia Coppola, Chloé Zhao, and Tom Ford among them) were tasked with bringing the Met’s 13 period rooms to life through the cinematic lens. The result is a compelling look at some of the country’s legendary clothiers and designers— some familiar, others less recognizable. “Ultimately, the aim of the exhibition is to offer a more nuanced and less monolithic reading of fashion,” said Andrew Bolton, Wendy Yu Curator in Charge at the Costume Institute, speaking at the press preview. Through September 5 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.

Closer to home, Cartier and Islamic Art: The Search for Modernity at the Dallas Museum of Art is both timely and enthralling. Whether you’re a jewelry lover, architecture and design lover, have a passion for Islamic art, or all four, the exhibition offers a singular educational journey. Through the cultural context of Paris

A bag from the Louis Vuitton X Yayoi Kusama seen as part of its resort 2023 collection.

in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the life of Louis J. Cartier (1875-1942), a partner and director of Cartier’s Paris branch and a collector of Islamic arts, the exhibition reveals the origins of Islamic influence on Cartier. Find jewelry fit for kings and queens and imagine the original wearers of these one-of-a-kind historical and modern treasures. Through September 8 at the Dallas Museum of Art.

Designer Albert Kriemler’s fall Akris runway exploded with color, showcasing the lively, sensuous work and signature squares of German artist Reinhard Voigt. The collection featured a myriad of printed and embroidered grid canvases, and Kriemler used the geometric shape as a pattern-making tool, evident in asymmetrical dress hemlines, cold-shoulder sweaters, and stunning evening wear.

Voigt’s whimsical, multi-hued triptych Drei Teile was front and center on both apparel and leather goods. Captured in what we see today as pixels, the artist’s painted portraits, flowers, and landscapes were ahead of their time. “I was fascinated to learn that he developed his way of working as early as the late ’60s,” writes Kriemler. Available at Akris, Highland Park Village.

This Stella x Stella collab pairs designer Stella McCartney with American painter/sculptor Frank Stella. “I love his minimalism and maximalism,” McCartney told Vogue. “It’s such a parallel to our brand.” The end product is clothing packed with pattern and texture, deconstructing the artist’s 1980s collage work. Standouts include a showstopping oversized suit, its bold design mirroring Stella’s lithograph Spectralia. Other prints were dissected, with elements taken out to make them more wearable. McCartney also featured monochrome zigzag coats, knits, and suiting reminiscent of Stella’s more linear early work.

The showing took place atop Paris’ Centre Pompidou, home to one of Europe’s best collections of the artist’s work. As for teaming with Stella, McCartney said: “He has incredibly good taste. When you talk to him, he has such a knowledge of art and design.”

Since it debuted in 2016, Gabriela Hearst’s Nina Bag—a nod to singer/songwriter/musician/civil rights activist Nina Simone— has been a mainstay in the collection. The top-handled, handcrocheted cashmere pouch regularly garners a wait list. This season, the designer introduced two new limited-edition Nina and Demi bags—a collaboration with Madres y Artesanas in Bolivia, an organization comprised of women dedicated to the production of handmade, high-quality fabrics.

Hearst also turned to art for several pieces in her AW 2022 runway show. The print on a cashmere-silk knit poncho echoes artist Ana Martinez Orizondo’s painting of a tree. And voluminous ivory sleeves on a black off-the-shoulder dress looked straight out of a Renaissance painting. Nina bags are available in the designer’s flagship stores and online. Gabriela Hearst is available at The Conservatory NYC, Highland Park Village.

Louis Vuitton has partnered with Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama on an enticing handbag collection set to launch for resort January 2023. Since its creation in 1854, the maison has nurtured strong ties to the art world, resulting in often radical renditions of some of its most iconic creations. The Louis Vuitton X Yayoi Kusama exclusive bags feature a bold reinterpretation of Kusama’s hallucination-inspired dot pattern, appearing on both the brand’s signature shapes and new models. Available in January at Louis Vuitton, NorthPark Center.

Music was the artistic inspiration for Isabel Marant’s Frenchgirl-cool fall collection. The designer admits to being a fan of New York City alt-rock band Blonde Redhead. “For me, this season was about this ballad of a girl, she’s really going to the essentials,” the

Isabel Marant Junco dress, Laelle boots, earrings. Courtesy of Isabel Marant

Akris fall 2022 ready-to-wear. Courtesy of Akris.

In America: An Anthology of American Fashion Frank Lloyd Wright Room. Director: Martin Scorsese. Image © The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Stella McCartney logo velvet applique body-con mini dress. Courtesy of Neiman Marcus.

Cartier and Islamic Art: In Search of Modernity (installation view). Courtesy of the Dallas Museum of Art. Photograph by John Smith. Loewe fall 22 runway. Courtesy of Loewe.

infinitely chic designer told Vogue. “I wanted to do something very evident and very cozy, and easy to wear, and being naively sexy. She’s very discreet and at the same time very powerful.”

Fluffy sweater dresses and huge coats paired perfectly with thigh-high, rock star boots. Body-conscious evening tops glammed up low-slung shell and cargo pants. Also expect to see next season’s it girls sporting leather overalls, sparkly ’80s disco dresses, denim bombers, and slouchy, multi-pocket jeans. Available at Isabel Marant, NorthPark Center.

The woman who wears Loewe appreciates art, and designer Jonathan Anderson knows his audience. Vogue calls his work “consciously art-adjacent.” For good reason; the designer is known for pushing boundaries. Even before the exhibit Surrealism Without Borders debuted at the Tate Modern this past February, he was already challenging fashion rules. Anderson’s AW 2022 catwalk emoted a surrealist René Magritte-like vibe—think giant puckers as breastplates, swishy leather mini dresses, paper-bag boots, and trompe-l’oeil balloon sculptures blown up as bras.

Not only the clothing had artistic roots. Two replicas of giant pumpkins dominated the show arena, the handiwork of British artist Anthea Hamilton. (Her 2018 Tate Gallery exhibit, The Squash, was inspired by a photograph of a man dressed as a vegetable.) More of Hamilton’s influence was on display outside the venue: a massive image of a male model in skimpy trunks was a reproduction of the artist’s 2010 Aquarius. Available at Neiman Marcus, NorthPark Center. P